Today at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco, Vic Gundotra, the VP Engineering for Google has a special surprise saved for the end of the show: A free HTC Magic (aka the G2) for everyone in the audience. Not only that but it comes with a SIM card with unlimited 3G access and talk time for 30 days. As Gundotra joked, he always wanted to have an “Oprah moment.”
I would have preferred a free car, but I suppose this will do. Though I do worry that Google seems to love to give these G1s away (see update). But this seems like a better deal.
Update: I previously stated it would be a G1, but it turns out, Google is giving away an HTC Magic, aka the G2 — forget everything nasty I said. Nothing but Google love for this move.
Seriously though, this is Google’s thank you to the development community for Android and Google overall. And it’s a great way to further spur development for Android, as of these boxes given away also contains the SDK.
Google has stepped up to the plate with this free phone. What will we see next week from Apple at its WWDC event? Probably nothing.
So, did they give a few extra batteries so it will last the day?
hey its oprah would u be surprised
Zing!
Wow, they *are* serious about Android
Sweet, I haven’t had a cell phone for the last five years. 1990-2002 I had the cell phone, but not since. life is unique with this view point.
Also the viewpoint that it’s been 5 years since 2002 is unique!
hahaha capped
I feel the same way since I gave up my TV and switched to downloads/streaming
Amazes me every time I walk past the family set how much advertising people put up with every ten mins, and how they watch it just because it’s there.
Go back to TV. We don’t want to have to put up with you here.
Google > Oprah
http://phandroi...e-at-google-io/
Hey I’ll take that G1 if you don’t care for it! I can’t afford one.
typo: as *each* of these boxes
“Google has stepped up to the plate with this free phone. What will we see next week from Apple at its WWDC event? Probably nothing.”
Are you begging for a free phone from Apple? Or are you just sucking up with Google.
Once again a pretty useless post (like the hundreds of Twitter posts) just to place nice with those companies. A little bit pathetic IMHO.
Is the free phone only for people at the keynote, or everyone registered at the conference?! I’m delayed sitting in an airport waiting for my flight to SF but I wont be there till 1pm!
Argggh.
in the same position, want able to make the keynote but still want the phone…i can still haz fone plz?
They say everyone registered at the conference can get a free phone. You just have to go pick it up at the front desk on the first floor before the conference ends.
I finally arrived at the conference and was able to pick up my free HTC Magic phone!
I’m very impressed. What’s more impressive is that I registered for the conference as ‘Academia’ and only had to pay a $50 registration fee.
I noticed there are a ton of students/academia here, definitely a great move by Google to get developer mindshare from new developers.
The device they showed was not a G1. This is a new model they’re giving away.
So, I take it this article is your “A HAH” moment?
it’s so funny how spoiled we get…. loved my sidekick for a long time b/c of it’s flip and the keyboard (perfect), then loved the blackberry but quickly found fault with it (esp after my warranty expired a few days before it broke) and now have an iphone and at first was in total awe but now it’s getting on my nerves, the screen often doesn’t respond, hate the keyboard etc etc. So fickle!
wish i was there…
Idiot..they are giving out the new htc magic not the g1…
Some people on Twitter seem to be saying it’s a G1, others say it’s a G2. Can anybody confirm for certain?
It’s the HTC Magic not the G1.
It’s the G2, the one without the keyboard.
Once again it’s the HTC Magic, not the G1 or the G2.
I was able to play with a G1 recently and I found the keyboard was very intuitive. I was typing with ease in seconds. The iPhone was clumsy and annoying. If it has a virtual keyboard I have zero interest.
Your parents must be so proud. “Our son doesn’t have any trouble with the keyboard!” Their minivan still proudly proclaims your elementary school honor student status.
Are these unlocked dev phones or do you have to have a T-Mobile account… .
Unlocked, but they come with 1 free month of TMobile service. After that, you can insert your own SIM card from a different company (that’s what I seem to have read in the paperwork given to me with the phone).
i <3 g1
MG, I’m not sure it’s a G1. You might want to double-check what type of Android phone it is. Many people on Twitter are saying it’s an HTC Magic.
Hmm looks like my comment was toast, but yes, I’m pretty sure it’s the Magic — not the G1, so nothing but love for Google here! I updated.
Thanks, MG. The audience was pretty surprised and happy to get a phone that they can develop on.
That’s pretty cool…
I second @mattcutts, all the people I’m reading say its the new Magic.
Apple will opt to sell you a phone that rocks, rather than give you one that sucks.
you lucky sob
scamble* scamble* edit* edit*
“instead of the normal bonus for the holidays” – That´s wrong. They all got their normal “money” bonus, too.
That’s a mistake. Shoemoney has a lot of influence (especially among the seo / sem crowd), and he’s been a long time friend of the site. Instead of banning him, they should hire him to try and find other holes in the service.
That’s a mistake. Shoemoney has a lot of influence (especially among the seo / sem crowd), and he’s been a long time friend of the site.
Its not a G2, its the new Google Ion:
http://www.andr...from-google-io/
Apple doesn’t need to give out free product because its products are good enough that they sell themselves.
No, Apple, (or anyone, really) doesn’t give out free product because they’re not Google (or Oprah) who scarf down $100 bills with cheese and croutons in a caesar salad.
It was a shocker that elicited a big applause from all 4000-5000 here. Even the Academic Attendees (who paid $50.00 to attend) get to have one. This is not the G1 that T-Mobile sells. This is the next-gen G2 that is smaller and more sexy with a UI/soft keyboard. A $400+ value and T-Mobile doesn’t even sell it yet. It comes with a 30-day nearly unlimited T-Mobile SIM card with no string attached. I imagine that onsite registrants today and tomorrow will get one…as for the $50.00 academic registrants…good question. (Are these on eBay, yet?….but, I’ll keep mine..thanx!)
Got mine
Yep, just got mine. Very cool device and apps. I really hope Google will take some significant market share/buzz away from the wall-garden iPhone industry.
I’m really enjoying my HTC Magic. It’s battery life so far is staggering but I also noted the presence of pico cell in the corner of the Moscone West. -50-55db pretty much the whole walk of the floor. As a result, the battery life was very surprising for the amount of playing I was doing.
By comparison, it’s around -101db in my hotel :-\ There are some things even Google and Apple can’t control. I’ll see what the battery life is like when I wake up in the AM.
Does anyone know if 1.5 supports native screenshots?
The question is, does anyone care? They will run out of pastries to name them after before they have a production version.
Did you eat paint chips when you were a kid?
Also, the phone is Android 1.5.
The android is a cool phone but then again so is the iphone especiall an unlocked version of accually any phone the contracts rob us blind
http://wwwunloc...ones-online.com
The question is, does anyone care? They will run out of pastries to name them after before they have a production version.
If Google doesnt care about getting links for “Android”, why don’t Google put a NOINDEX,NOFOLLOW on the Android Landing Page ?
Dude, sweet!
nice articles, really never think of copyright laws
The question is, does anyone care? They will run out of pastries to name them after before they have a production version.